Jewelry storage rack



Jan. 14, 1969 H H 3,421,634

JEWELRY STORAGE RACK Filed Dec. 5. 1966 INVENTOR. MqeamezrM /-/ur// United States Patent 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A jewelry storage rack for carrying a plurality of items of jewelry, particularly those utilizing clasp fasteners. A plurality of storage bars are removably supported at their ends in notches in a pair of side supports adapted to be placed in a drawer of conventional design. Each of the storage bars has a pair of rods held in spaced parallel relationship within a sheath of soft pliable material. The rods within the sheath form bulbous edges on the storage bars. The clasp fasteners of the items of jewelry fit over the bulbous edges which aid in preventing the items of jewelry from slipping off the storage bars.

This invention relates generally to apparatus for storing jewelry and more particularly to an improved rack for storing jewelry having clasp fasteners.

In the nature of things, most women have numerous pairs of earrings and other pieces of jewelry with clasp fasteners. Because the number of pieces worn at any one time is quite limited compared to the quantity usually available, most of the earrings and other pieces are normally stored. Considering the quantity of jewelry involved, storage presents a problem. It is desirable that such jewelry be stored in an organized fashion which facilitates selection of the desired piece or pieces. Like pieces should be kept adjacent one another, but out of contact in order to prevent scratching or marring. Moreover, it is desired that such storage be achieved without taking up an excessive amount of space.

The need for efficient storage of jewelry in even greater in the case of commercial establishments that rent or sell it. In such cases, not only is it important that individual pieces be readily accessible and protected from damage and that the space occupied be minimized, but, in addition, effective display is especially important. It is desirable that a prospective customer be able to observe a large number of pieces in a single viewing with individual pieces being presented to good advantage.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved jewelry storage rack especially adapted for storing jewelry with clasp fasteners.

A more specific object is to provide such apparatus which stores individual pieces in such a manner that each is readily accessible and may be removed and put back without handling other pieces.

Another object is to provide such apparatus further characterized in that the stored pieces are effectively protected from damage as by scratching or marring.

It is a further object to provide a jewelry storing rack readily adapted for use in containers such as conventional drawers or jewelry boxes of various sizes and shapes.

Still another object is to provide such an improved rack for storing pieces of jewelry in such a manner that they are advantageously displayed.

The foregoing and additional objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a jewelry storing rack constructed in accordance with the invention and shown in place in a conventional drawer with a few typi- 3,421,634 Patented Jan. 14, 1969 cal pieces of jewelry with clasp fasteners stored thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a removable part of the rack of FIGURE 1, with a portion of its exterior covering at the left hand end being broken away and removed in order to show underlying parts more clearly;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the rack, showing, in particular, the manner in which it fits into and is attached to the drawer;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2, with pieces of jewelry shown in place as in FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawing, and in particular to FIG- URE 1, the rack of the invention may be seen to include a plurality of removable storage bars or elements 10 and a pair of side supports 12. The rack is shown in place in a drawer 14 of conventional design with the supports 12 resting on the bottom wall 16 and abutting the opposite sidewalls 18. In the illustrative embodiment, removable mounting of the bars 10 is accomplished by providing notches 22 at spaced intervals along the supports 12 for receiving the ends of the bars 10. Each bar 10 is of a length just slightly less than the distance between the sidewalls 18. By aligning associated notches directly opposite one another along the two supports 12 and providing them at regularly spaced intervals, the bars 10, when installed, are spaced equi-distant from and parallel to one another.

As may be seen in FIGURES 2 and 4, each of the bars 10 comprises a pair of elongated rods 24, 26 disposed in spaced, parallel relation. Such spacing is maintained by spacers 28 positioned at longitudinallyspaced intervals along the rods. The spacers 28 here comprise strips of metal wrapped tightly around the rods so as to hold them against relative shifting and then folded back upon themselves. It will be appreciated, however, that the spacers 28 may be of any convenient form which serves to space the rods 24, 26 and hold them without adding appreciably to the overall thickness of the bar. Moreover, the rods 24, 26 may be constructed of any suitable material which will result in a bar 10 that remains straight while carrying a number of pieces of jewelry clipped thereon and being supported only at its ends.

Disposed between the rods 24, 26 are webs 30 preferably formed of a yieldingly compressible material, such as buckram, these webs being of a width suflicient to extend substantially the entire length of the rods and to span substantially the entire distance between rods as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4. Preferably, the webs 30 are of a thickness slightly less than the diameter of each rod.

The assembly comprising the rods 24, 26, spacers 2-8 and webs 30 are enveloped by a sheath 32 made of a soft, pliable material, such as velvet, which also has decorative qualities. Referring to FIGURES 2 and 4, it may be seen that the sheath 32 comprises a strip of material wrapped around the rods 24 and 26 with its marginal edges overlapping at a location between the rods, as at 34. These edges are, in turn, secured together by any suitable means as by an adhesive.

By virtue of its construction, each of the bars 10 has bulbous edges of fixed dimension at the locations of the rods 24, 26 and a yieldingly compressible central portion of lesser dimension corresponding to the web 30. Such a bar is readily adapted to carry pieces of jewelry, such as earrings with various types of fasteners, at both its upper and lower edges. By Way of example, an earring 36 with a spring-type clasp 38 and an earring 40 with a screw-type clasp 42 are shown in place on one of the bars 10 in FIGURES 3 and 4. As is apparent, the rods 24, 26 are sized in cross section to enable the clasps 38 and 42 to engage over them and grip the central portion of the bar to which they are attached. Once the earrings are in place on the bar, the bulbous edges afforded by the rods 24, 26, of course, prevent them from inadvertently falling off.

It is significant to note that the clasps 38 and 42 on the typical earrings 36 and 40, respectively, grip the relatively narrow central portion of the bar 10 rather than its bulbous edges. Moreover, such central portion, since it is made up of the web 30 and the sheath, is yieldingly compressible. The result is that fasteners, e.g., the spring type clasp 38 on the earring 36, are not subjected to undue tension during storage.

Turning now to the side supports 12 that removably mount the bars 10, each comprises a flat member shaped to conform to the sidewalls 18 of the drawer or other container in which the rack is installed. When the supports 12 are positioned in abutment with their associated sidewalls 18, the top edges of the supports and sidewalls are aligned flush with one another. The supports 12 are maintained so positioned by any suitable means, as by the U- shaped spring clips 44 illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 3.

As previously described, removable mounting of the bars 10 is achieved by providing notches 22 in the upper edges of the supports 12. The notches 22 are sized so as to freely receive the ends of the bars 10, yet to hold the bars in vertical orientations in the manner shown in FIGURE 1 when they are in place. To facilitate installation and removal of the bars 10, the notches 22 are flared outwardly at least adjacent their upper ends and, in the illustrative case, each progressively increases in width from bottom to top. The depth of the notches 22 is sufiicient to position the bars below the top of the drawer 14 or other container, thereby providing clearance for the earrings attached to the bars. The notches 22, of course, terminate short of the bottom edge of the supports in order that the bars 10 are supported off the bottom wall 16 in the drawer.

Attachment of pieces of jewelry such as the earrings 36 and 40 to the bars 10 of the rack may be conveniently accomplished with the bars 10 either in place, as shown in FIGURE 1, or with them removed. The clasp on the particular earring is actuated to enable it to clear the bulbous edge of the bar afforded by the rods 24, 26. Once it is slipped over this edge the clasp is either released, as in the case of the spring-type clasp 38, or tightened, as in the case of the screw-type clasp 42, so that it grips the yieldingly compressible central portion of the particular bar. The reverse procedure is, of course, followed in removing pieces of jewelry.

Both installation and removal of jewelry may be carried out without handling or disturbing any other earrings stored in the rack. Each stored piece is readily accessible and may be quickly and easily selected and removed. As is apparent from FIGURE 1, the earrings stored are also advantageously displayed and may all be seen in a single viewing.

Individual ones of the bars 10 carrying numerous pieces of earrings or other pieces of jewelry may also be removed from the rack to permit closer inspection of the pieces. This feature is especially desirable in the case of commercial establishments. These individual bars also afford a convenient means for transporting a portion of the stored jewelry from place to place without the necessity of removing them from the bar 10.

It will be understood that while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, modifications of design and construction can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A rack for storing jewelry having clasp fasteners, comprising:

a pair of supports disposed at lateral spacing from one another; an elongated storage element extending between said supports and adapted to mount such jewelry, said element having two bulbous edges which are formed by a pair of elongated rods held opposite one another in spaced parallel relation, and a clasp-engaging portion having a web of yieldingly compressible material disposed between said rods and extending along substantially the full lengths of said rods; and

cooperating means on said element and on said supports for removably mounting said element on said supports.

2. The subject matter of claim 1, wherein said element includes a sheath formed of a soft, pliable material enveloping said rods and said web.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 541,111 6/1895 McDonald 312-128 X 986,395 3/1911 King 2l1126 1,666,001 4/1928 Catala 206 X 1,779,730 10/1930 Brunson 211l23 2,739,697 3/1956 Kuddes 206-75 X 2,905,328 9/1959 Munao et a1 2l113 3,217,873 11/1965 Green et al 20645.14 X

CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 20675; 21113 

